Last year the tired beach-front chandlery which had been peddling buckets, spades and crab lines for years was transformed – not without some local resistance – into five splendid beach huts that spill on to the sand.
Set at the westernmost end of Carolina's splendid beach, the new boutique hotel boasts all the appurtenances: an elevator with a waterfall-wall, 84 up-to-the-minute rooms, all with beach views, a roof terrace with sun deck, plunge pool and weekend sushi bar, a ground-floor bar that has become a local watering hole and Tangerine, a lively restaurant with an Asian-accented menu.
The 290-mile (470-km) coastline along the Adriatic is well known for its splendid beaches.
A sunny mild climate, splendid beaches, and easy access to the Southern Alps make Timaru a popular resort.
Stop off to enjoy the views and splendid beaches as well as some of Australia's best rainforest scenery in the Otway Ranges.
It is renowned for its splendid beaches and diving - and, increasingly, for the boatloads of desperate migrants who are smuggled here from north Africa.
Around the coast, heading south again, Sinclairs Bay has several splendid beaches, including sandy Reiss, stony Keiss, and Ackergill, with its 14th-century tower.
9 boulevard Maritime, Barneville-Carteret, +33 2 3304 9076, hoteldesisles.com, doubles from €99 The famous D-Day coastline boasts some of Normandy's most splendid beaches, still known by their coded wartime names – Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno.
Although a civil war was being fought in the north-east of the island, where Tamil Tigers demand a separate state, the sounds of battle never reached the splendid beaches of the south.
The ride will take you from the commercial district, over the hills (or through a tunnel), to the South Side, a residential area with splendid beaches, Riviera-style corniches and wide-open views of the South China Sea.
With a magnificent coastline, clear waters and splendid beaches, Croatia lures increasing numbers of visitors for sailing vacations each year.
